<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Runaway by Traitorthief</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23629966">Runaway</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traitorthief/pseuds/Traitorthief'>Traitorthief</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Uncharted (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Betrayal, Car Accidents, Character Death, Choking, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Half of the fic is Harry demanding tea, Hitman Harry, Little fucked up ending, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marlowe doesn't play a big role but she's in the plot for reasons, Nursing, Sassy Harry at the start, Slow Burn, Talbot just wants to work honestly, Talbot takes care of Harry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:34:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23629966</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Traitorthief/pseuds/Traitorthief</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In times of uncertainty, what better option is there than to rid of your lifelong business associate?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Flynn/Talbot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Runaway</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Blessing this world with more Harry/Talbot work because I NEED IT!!! angy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Marlowe ended up getting herself piled in the quicksand, Talbot has been there to nurse her of the trauma. Yet, nothing was as it ever seemed, and all his hard work was often neglected. All Marlowe wanted was to get back at Sully and Nate, while Talbot spent days on end to care for her.</p>
<p>As of lately, Marlowe had started showing more visible signs of hatred towards her business associate, acknowledging his existence. All he truly was was a thorn in her side, someone to bug her on a busy day, distract her of her plans. It was beginning to make sense to her that there was only one thing she could do, and that was to get rid of him, once and for all.</p>
<p>A few days back, she had been searching, searching long and hard for the right one to do the job. She ended up stumbling upon a thief- and hitman- who was coincidentally vested inside of the UK- which was, coincidentally, their current hideout country. London, to be more exact. She had dialled the man with a grin on her face. He demanded £400 in cash when the job was done. She agreed and they planned to meet up a few days after at their apartment, when Talbot would be out for a business meeting.</p>
<p>She waited. Eventually, he showed up. Said his name was Harry Flynn, an experienced thief in the business. While his appearance was everything but formal, she had been intrigued. He looked very capable of the job indeed, and she felt as if she had picked just the right man to rid her of her worries. Marlowe explained that she wanted Talbot dead by Friday, while their meetup day was Tuesday. She gave him a certain location, demanded that Flynn went there by Thursday to await Talbot’s arrival. It was the place he always went out for coffee to at night, it would be perfect to stalk him there and take him out silently and quickly. It was all she wanted of him, nothing more, nothing less.</p>
<p>So they agreed. Harry would report back Friday evening to collect the cash. They parted ways and waited until Thursday would come. Talbot suspected nothing during the days, going about his work like usual.</p>
<p>Once the day finally came, Marlowe had been right. Talbot left at exactly 7 PM to head to the coffee shop down the street. Harry had hesitantly followed, his pockets containing nothing but a gun and a dagger- in case his confrontation was going to end up being hand-to-hand. When Talbot went inside, Flynn told himself to wait around the corner, in an alleyway. It wasn’t like the space was convenient either, many people who were out drinking would pass his location. The fact his emerald green eyes would shimmer under the streetlights did not help either, for it appeared as if a monster was lurking in the dark. While that wasn’t particularly incorrect, it was still a horrifying thought.</p>
<p>A few hours passed, the clock struck 8:30. Flynn was surprised that anyone would stay out for coffee until such a late hour, but really, he shouldn’t be complaining. He was only out to do his job anyway, considering someone’s lifestyles was not a part of ‘his job’. The bell at the top of the door alarmed him, eyes wary and thick with confidence. This would be his call. A tall, yet still shorter figure than him passed the alleyway. The man matched the description Marlowe had given him- short raven hair with a single tuft that was swept to the side, a black striped vest with black slacks, and a red tie loosely tucked underneath.</p>
<p>Harry took aim, immediately making his presence noticeable. Much to his dismay, his target turned in surprise to the noise of a hollering magazine. Grey eyes met green. For a minute, both stood still in utter shock. Harry watched as the man’s eyes shifted with fright, before turning on his heel.</p>
<p>“No!” Flynn exclaimed angrily as the man bolted for it. He followed suit immediately, his cover ruined. He fiddled with the gun, taking sloppy aim once more, firing numerous bullets. All missed, and instead, they alerted nearby pedestrians, who watched in confusion and fear.</p>
<p>Panting hard, Talbot turned to look across the street, headlights coming straight down the road. He jumped onto the cement, his legs giving out. He smashed to the floor, hard breathing being awfully evident behind him. In his panicked frenzy, he found the strength to get to his feet and continue to run to the other side of the street. Harry was less cautious. He ran up onto the road, only to have lights flashing in his eyes. He turned to face the source, eyes widening in fear as the vehicle neared him. He braced, and before he went out, all that he saw was the desperate look of his target, sprawled out on the sidewalk, panting. His heart stopped. Then all went black.</p>
<p>That same night, Flynn woke up to the sound of classical music being played in a small, makeshift apartment room. He turned his head, drowsy. He now noticed he was on a sofa, with a blanket covering his freezing body. Everything hurt, his head felt heavy, and he couldn’t move his legs. Glancing over, he noticed both his legs were in casts, attached to the armrest of the sofa. On his right side were bandages, and he seemed to have been given a different set of clothes- a tank top with shorts instead of his heist clothes. Groaning, he tossed his head back, his body being just a little too big to properly fit on the sofa, but he’d make do.</p>
<p>He lifted his head up to see someone entering the room, his green eyes falling on-</p>
<p>Talbot.</p>
<p>His face went up in a soft scowl, baring his teeth. His scarred lip tugged upwards, giving off signs that he did not want the man to approach him. Talbot only hummed, holding a cup of tea, which he placed on the coffee table next to Flynn. “You are in no position to bargain.”</p>
<p>The comment sent Flynn to glance at the man once more, eyes dilating at the smell of warm, burning herbs in the tea. He reached over silently, grabbing the warm cup by the handle, taking delicate sips of his favourite beverage. This seemed to draw a smile from Talbot, who watched with content. “Good. You’re very lucky I was at the scene to save you.”</p>
<p>Harry remained silent, closing his eyes as he drank the tea he had been given without a second thought. Talbot continued to speak.</p>
<p>“You got run over, you know. You can at least thank me.” He sat opposite of Flynn, on a small chair placed diagonally from the sofa. The coffee table separated them.</p>
<p>Harry opened his eyes once more, their eyes meeting. Talbot had never seen a more threatening looking man. “You could have let me die. Why’d you save someone who tried to take your life? A poor choice you made, my love.”</p>
<p>Talbot frowned, eyebrows furrowing above his dark lidded eyes. “Was I just at the wrong place at the wrong time? I don’t recognize you at all.”</p>
<p>There was a burning silence. Harry didn’t want to say why exactly he had been after Talbot. Looking at the time, he noticed the clock had just struck 2 AM. He was never going to make it to the evening to pick up his cash. His left hand scoured through his pockets, while the right held onto the cup. Talbot took notice, sighing.</p>
<p>“I confiscated your gun. As well as your dagger.”</p>
<p>Flynn sneered. Of course. There was no way he was leaving this place anytime soon, he might as well just come clean and save himself from a lot of trouble.</p>
<p>“Katherine Marlowe.” He said, accent lingering.</p>
<p>“Excuse me?”</p>
<p>“Marlowe. She hired me to kill you.”</p>
<p>Another silence lingered, Talbot was speechless. He seemed to be staring off into the distance, his grey eyes fading in colour. Harry slowly lifted his head to watch, lowering the cup of tea. “Were you two close? Married?”</p>
<p>The question seemed to bring Talbot back, his head turning to Harry. “No… No. We weren’t married, no.. There wasn’t a relationship. I worked for her, supplied her with my men.. I’ve been taking care of her ever since an accident she had..”</p>
<p>Flynn took another sip from his tea, indulging himself in the new information. “Hrm. Why’d she want you dead? I’d be bloody grateful if someone took care of me like that. Sounds like a real blow, eh?”</p>
<p>“I never thought much of the way she behaved.. I didn’t think she’d want me gone.” With that, he stood up, dusting himself off. “Thank you, for telling me. I understand you have no part in this. It’s just your job.” He slowly strolled to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Harry heard the man calling someone.</p>
<p>A couple hours passed. Harry wasn’t really aware of his surroundings, mostly asleep or at least zoned out. Talbot would do his regulars, cleaning the kitchen, preparing himself for the upcoming day. Obviously, with his gathered information, he wouldn’t be heading to Marlowe that morning, and neither would Flynn. Talbot cautiously approached the sofa, tucking his tie under his black vest. He sat on the edge of the sofa, staring at Harry, whose eyes were trained on the ceiling. He finally shifted his gaze to stare back at the fellow Brit.</p>
<p>Their eye contact seemed to never end. It was late, both were exhausted, deprived of sleep. Harry wasn’t letting his guard down for too long, and Talbot seemed hesitant to leave Harry’s side. He never stayed away for too long, eventually always stumbling back over to the sofa to check up on him. It was a habit. Harry never demanded food, or anything to drink, or anything else. He was polite. Talbot had to guess from his face whenever he was longing for something, which was tea most of the time. Not that he minded. He had plenty.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” Talbot asked</p>
<p>“Alright, I suppose. Everything’s bloody numb.”</p>
<p>“Are you hungry?”</p>
<p>There wasn’t a response, which Talbot had been expecting. He had a feeling that Harry was refusing to fully succumb to his offerings to help.</p>
<p>Letting out a sigh, he directed his gaze at the clock. It was 6 AM. He had work in a few hours, and it ached at him. He would have to leave Flynn all by himself until 5 in the afternoon.</p>
<p>“I’ll have to change your bandages before I go.” Talbot informed quietly, gesturing vaguely at Harry’s side. The thief glanced at the spot he pointed at, groaning in dissatisfaction.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right back.” With that, Talbot got up and left to his kitchen, leaving Flynn in silence. Soft rummaging filled the apartment, followed with Talbot entering the room once more, holding onto a simple first aid kit. He sat by Harry’s side, opening the kit. He pulled out a small bottle of alcohol, new bandages and some disinfectant, along with wipes.</p>
<p>He reached his arms out, then paused, retreating with a noise of embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Ah. Your top.” Talbot hesitantly pointed at the tank top Harry was wearing. “Can you take it off?”</p>
<p>Nothing seemed to be happening for a while, up until it seemed to process in Flynn’s mind. He huffed, grabbing the bottom of the cloth, lifting his arms up and pulling it over his head, now using the rolled up top as a headrest.</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Talbot breathed softly, grabbing the alcohol. He removed the old bandages on Harry’s side, placing them on the coffee table. The wound was still pretty awful, and it showed on the old bandages. Talbot winced sadly.</p>
<p>He applied a few dabs of the alcohol on the wound, forcing a growl out of Harry. Talbot furrowed his brows together. “Stop being such a baby. It’ll be over soon.”</p>
<p>This made Flynn toughen his shell, instead glaring at the man nursing him. Talbot shot him an appreciative look, continuing with cleaning the wound.</p>
<p>Once it looked relatively clean, he wrapped a new set of bandages around his waist, making sure they covered the wound well. He then slid Harry’s top on for him, disinfecting his hands afterwards, getting up to put the kit away again.</p>
<p>The hours passed, and soon Talbot was out to work. He had left behind various foods and drinks near Harry, so that if he did want anything, he didn’t have to get up and suffer through the pain in his legs. Really, he doubted the poor man could even make a step or two. He didn’t know how long he’d have to be in casts, but something told him it’d be a very long time, because bones don’t just magically heal.</p>
<p>Harry would be alone for a good nine hours, and already, the boredom was tearing at him. If Talbot was able to give him bandages, Flynn wondered if he had crutches, too. Eventually he would need them anyway- he’d be a little confused if they weren’t in the house to start with. He glanced around, indulging himself in the soft music coming from the record player. It was vintage; he could tell so from the scratches and the marks scattered across both the record and the player itself. He tossed his head back, staring at the ceiling with lidded green eyes. The blinds were closed to preserve some shade for him, a few small table lamps were lit so he could still see. He had never experienced something this sweet, this calming. He truly never really knew what it was to relax. But this is exactly how he imagined it to be.</p>
<p>By the time Talbot was coming back home, Harry had unclipped the hooks that held his legs attached to the couch, and using stray furniture, had pulled himself to his feet in hopes of finding crutches. He hadn’t exactly kept track of time, and was relatively surprised to find Talbot entering the apartment just as he was scouring the living room, meekly holding onto a random drawer that was placed just near the entrance to the kitchen. He could read the confusion and fear in the man’s eyes for a minute, and he knew exactly what Talbot was thinking.</p>
<p>“How in the hell did you get up-?”</p>
<p>The question was amusing to Flynn. He had once again proven himself to be stronger than he appeared, and he loved seeing the utter confusion on the face of the one that treated him like a wounded puppy. Harry stiffened.</p>
<p>“I was looking for crutches. I can’t be miserable on the sofa forever.”</p>
<p>They exchanged a few glances, Talbot seemingly eyed Harry’s legs, seeing the bent curve in both of them. There was no way standing was comfortable for him in any way at all.</p>
<p>“I do have some, they’re in my room. You could have never made it there. Wait here.”</p>
<p>He passed Flynn, leaving through the kitchen and to another room. A few minutes later, he returned with a pair of unused crutches, handing them to Harry. He immediately slipped them around his wrists, then quickly found that since both of his legs were in casts, he wasn’t really going anywhere. Both just kind of stared at the two crutches. Then Flynn sneered.</p>
<p>“I am not going to get in a wheelchair. I can’t spend months in there.”</p>
<p>Talbot shrugged his shoulders, simply just humming.</p>
<p>“If you want to get back out there, I don’t think you have much of a choice.”</p>
<p>Over the following couple of months, Harry definitely held onto his statement, and never got into a wheelchair. He would just spend the months on the sofa under the company of Talbot. It was actually not that bad, he got everything he wanted, and didn’t have to work his ass off. Though, as of lately, he’s grown stronger, and is now very much capable of using the crutches Talbot had handed to him earlier. Surely, his legs were nowhere near healed, but he was able to walk short distances with breaks in between. Talbot had taken him outside to walk around the neighbourhood plenty of times.</p>
<p>They never heard from Marlowe anymore, but Flynn has started mentioning her more often in his conversations with Talbot. The two had grown closer, and Harry demanded they got back at her for the fact she wanted to rid of Talbot. The two never came to a compromise, simply because Talbot just didn’t want to face the commitment and cause unnecessary trouble.</p>
<p>It was Friday, late evening. 4:30 PM. Talbot was just returning from work, coming home to find Flynn was nowhere around. It was the first time in months he had disappeared, and it struck worry to his heart. Harry wouldn’t just leave without at least telling him.</p>
<p>First thing he did was check around the neighbourhood. Flynn often spoke of wanting to stroll around on his own, and Talbot really thought that was what he had done, though after an hour of searching for him in shops and restaurants, he found him nowhere. He had to ask locals to see if they had spotted a man with auburn hair, a strong build and scars across his face, stuck in crutches, but none directed him anywhere. He couldn’t have spontaneously disappeared, there was no such thing. Even if so, Harry couldn’t get far. Talbot knew him better than anyone else.</p>
<p>At this point, he was frantic, with tears almost pouring down his pale cheeks. He couldn’t have just left him either, Flynn was the most loyal man he had met, and although he appeared like the typical backstabber, he had learned otherwise. As time progressed, Harry had grown sweeter, thanking him for every beverage he brought, sometimes even having the energy to start a friendly conversation. Rarely, he would request a hug or a smooch, too, which for the first few times, had definitely surprised Talbot, but it had grown to be a regular exchange between the two. A good morning kiss, a kiss before Talbot went off to work, and a goodnight kiss. They slept separately, simply because there was no way he was going to squeeze in on the sofa with Harry. Though every night, he could see the longing in Flynn’s eyes. He’s been considering to move him to his room, so they could share a bed, but he didn’t know if it was such a good idea. God, he didn’t know anymore. He just wanted to find Harry.</p>
<p>It took him a while to consider where he might be, then he figured there was always a chance he went back to Marlowe for some sort of reunion. He dearly prayed that wasn’t it, but hopped into his car anyway, driving himself to her place. It was just beginning to get dark, too, which wasn’t of much comfort. He pulled up into her street, parking around the corner, leaving his car and rushing up to her apartment. When he arrived, the door was open, wide open, something he recalled she never did. Nausea crept up his back, twisting his stomach as he entered. Just as he did, there was distinctive yelling coming from a few rooms away. Talbot could make out two voices, Marlowe and Flynn.</p>
<p>When he arrived on scene, what he saw was everything but what he had expected. The two were in the middle of a brawl, Marlowe’s shirt was torn, almost like a beast had torn through it with mighty claws and teeth. Flynn, being over a head taller than her, had his strong hands around her neck, squeezing with all his might. Both were sneering, Marlowe using her sharp nails to claw up his tanned arms.</p>
<p>Talbot, despite feeling utter fear, only focused his eyes on one thing.</p>
<p>Harry’s side was pouring with blood, and he already knew what had happened. She must have broken the stitches he had applied recently to close the wound. Even from a distance, he could tell that Flynn was drowsy.</p>
<p>He was frozen in fear. He knew he should have stopped Harry, he knew he should have seen this coming. Instead, all he could muster was to crawl up to Flynn, resting his head on his shoulder, being just tall enough to reach. Harry visibly stiffened, though eased up once he felt the familiar stubble of Talbot pressing up against his jawline. His mind was somewhere else entirely, but he always knew how to focus when he was around.</p>
<p>“Kill her.”</p>
<p>The demand had Flynn blinking in sheer shock, his hands subconsciously tightening around Marlowe’s throat.</p>
<p>It didn’t take long for her to run out of air. Harry was stronger than he looked. It had been obvious from the start.</p>
<p>She fell limp in his hands, and Flynn let out a short breath, turning his head around just slightly. The anger seemed to fade from his eyes, and instead, he now just appeared exhausted. Talbot carefully ran a hand up his side, feeling along his blood soaked shirt with a delicate hum. It earned a soft whimper from Harry.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, my dear. We’ll fix you up when we get home, okay?”</p>
<p>Flynn buried his head underneath Talbot’s chin, pushing up to create a soft nuzzle like gesture. He repeated the action a few times, bringing soft noises from the both of them. Talbot brought his head down, nuzzling into Flynn’s messy hair.</p>
<p>“That sounds lovely,” Harry grinned tiredly.</p>
<p>“Incredibly lovely.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>